It is well known in the building construction art that in seasonal climates a substantial amount of heat loss (i.e., in the winter) and heat gain (i.e., in the summer) occurs around a house, particularly in the basement area. Specifically, heat loss or gain occurs around the floor and wall interface where there is a channeling effect through to the basement or crawl space area. A major cause of such heat loss or gain is air exchange across the sill plate and foundation interface and around the band joist of the house. As a result, there has long existed a need to provide an air infiltration barrier to combat leakage at the sill plate and foundation interface and around the band joist area.
Over the years many devices and methods have been suggested for solving this problem. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,035,374 discloses a leakage preventing draft stop which comprises a batt of insulation which covers and is fastened over one complete side of a cardboard backing panel. Bendable attaching flaps extend from the backing panel and are adhesively coated. In use, the draft stop is sized to fit and positioned between the parallel wooden joists which support the subfloor of the house. The insulation contacts the interior surface of the concrete foundation so that it overlaps the sill plate and foundation interface. Once in place, the flaps are bent and adhesively attached to the subfloor and joists.
Moreover, U.S. Pat. No. 4,653,241 discloses a system for insulating the interior surface of basement walls. This system comprises a continuous roll of flexible insulation having an impermeable vapor barrier continuously laminated on one side thereof and in intimate contact therewith. The laminate is fastened to the interior surface of the basement wall in sections cut to the dimensions of the basement walls.
A failure of these types of devices and/or systems is that they only attempt to stop drafts once they have actually reached the interior surfaces of the house. Moreover, since these types of devices and/or systems are designed for use after construction of the house is substantially complete, nothing is provided for preventing drafts between and around the sill plate and foundation interface, wherein the method is practiced while the house is under construction.
In addition, there are articles and methods available which attempt to simply plug the space between the sill plate and the foundation wall. For example, batts of commercially available fiberglass or foam insulation have been used for this purpose. However, this method does not completely seal the area surrounding the sill plate and foundation interface and air is still permitted to leak into and out of the house.
Clearly, what is needed is a device and method which overcome the problems inherent in the prior art and which provide an air infiltration barrier wherein drafts are prevented before they pass into or out of the house. It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an assembly and method for providing an air infiltration barrier which completely seals the sill plate and foundation interface and its surrounding areas and which prevents air exchange between the inside and outside areas of the house. Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reference to the attached drawings and to the detailed description of the invention which hereinafter follows.